


Head Held High

by ByTheAngell (SomeLittleInfamy)



Series: Hunter's moon 500 Word Prompts [34]
Category: The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Bullying, Gen, Light Angst, Post-Canon, Proving yourself, Standing up for yourself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:27:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29110806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell
Summary: When some of his peers give Rafael a hard time after a mission, he's quick to put them in their place.
Series: Hunter's moon 500 Word Prompts [34]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1776664
Comments: 8
Kudos: 38





	Head Held High

**Author's Note:**

> 500 word prompt: Magic

Rafael is quickly becoming one of the best Shadowhunters in his age group, which is to be expected given his exceptionally unique upbringing. In fact, there are a _lot_ of expectations for him, good and bad, which is why he works so hard at what he does - because for every person who values and appreciates his skill, there’s another wishing he’d fail and looking for any reason to discredit his accomplishments because they hate his parents. 

“Good work out there,” Uncle Jace says, all smiles as he comes up to Rafe in the weapons room after a mission. It’d been a rough one (his parents are absolutely going to ream him out for breaking another stele) and they barely came out on the winning side against the nest of demons in that abandoned basement. 

“He wouldn’t be half as good without all that _magic_ helping him. I’d be the best too if I was a walking enchantment,” comes a muttered reply from a nearby Shadowhunter in their group. The word ‘magic’ is spat like a curse, loud enough for Rafael to overhear and followed by the snickering of his peers. 

Uncle Jace tenses at his side but Rafe quickly looks up and shakes his head ‘no’ to keep the Head of the Institute from stepping in. After getting in a few fistfights over his family’s honor, he’s promised both his parents he’d start dealing with bullies another way. 

It’s true - the weapons he uses on missions are often spelled by his Papa for protection (something he’s offered Institute-wide, though many prejudiced families refuse), and he carries a few small jars of weaponized magic to use in a pinch - potions of fog for distractions and poison for attack - Papa is even working out an armor that creates a shield upon impact, though it’s too temperamental for field use yet. And yes, they help, but they aren’t the only reason he’s successful in the field. 

Rafael walks over to the others without hesitation. They haven’t put their own weapons away yet, so Rafael walks up to the boy who spoke and deftly plucks the throwing stars from his hands, turning toward a standing target on the other side of the room and throwing them, one after another, with almost every one hitting the center rings. 

“Those weren’t _enchanted_ , were they?” he remarks casually, turning to the next boy and doing the same with the dagger he held. “Or that one?” Then the crossbow from the girl next to him, lining up a near-perfect shot before letting it fly across the room. “Or that?” 

“I train twice as hard as any of you,” he points out, not to be mean, just stating the facts. “So you’re allowed to be jealous - just know you’re jealous of _me_ , not some _magic_.” 

He wants to talk with Uncle Jace more but knows it wouldn’t do him any favors just then. Instead, Rafael gives him a quick nod of acknowledgment before leaving with his head held high. 

**Author's Note:**

> (Find me on [Tumblr](http://bytheangell.tumblr.com) and also on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/By_The_Angell)! <3 )


End file.
